


He Walked The Streets A Stranger, And He Fought The World Alone

by creatureofhobbit



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 10:40:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1547705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creatureofhobbit/pseuds/creatureofhobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gale had always thought he knew how his life was going to turn out - until Katniss got reaped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Walked The Streets A Stranger, And He Fought The World Alone

Gale had always been sure he knew how his life was going to turn out. He’d carry on supporting his mother and the kids as he always had done since the mining accident that killed his father, and when he was old enough he’d follow in his father’s footsteps and go into the mines himself, just like practically every other guy he knew from the Seam. 

Vick and Rory used to tease Gale about whether he’d end up marrying Katniss one day, and he always used to brush it off (although he did make it clear to them exactly what he’d do if they ever made those comments in front of her). Truth was, he’d thought about it, more than he was ever going to admit to his brothers. And if things had been different, he would have liked kids one day too. But did he really want to bring children into a life in the Seam, to put children of his in the position he and Katniss had been forced into, providing for their family at such a young age? Because that was exactly what could end up happening, if anything happened to him down in the mines.

He’d always talked about the possibility of abandoning District 12, taking Katniss and running to the woods. But even as he spoke about this, Gale knew that wasn’t what he wanted. If there was any way he could bring down the Capitol, to change things for the better, he’d take it. But for most of his life, he’d just never thought there was any way.

Until Katniss was reaped for the Hunger Games.

He hadn’t been able to watch the first couple of showings. Then he realised that Mrs Everdeen and Prim needed his support at this time, so he started watching the Games with them. Gale hated feeling so useless as he watched the Games on the screen, knowing that no matter how much he’d yell advice at the screen, she couldn’t hear it. And then when Katniss had come home, and Gale was forced to stand by and watch as she went through the motions of this engagement while he had to stand aside in the role of her “cousin”, knowing he couldn’t do anything about it because he knew what Snow would do if he did.

When he had successfully led the survivors to District 13, Gale felt like he had a purpose in life at last. No one had really understood the way he felt towards the Capitol and changing the world as they knew it, not even Katniss. Designing the weapons with Beetee, Gale felt alive again, in a way he hadn’t done since the days when he’d gone hunting in the woods with Katniss, before the Games, before Peeta, before any of the last year had happened. All his talk of what he would like to do to President Snow and his acolytes could finally become a reality.

But he’d never intended for that weapon to be used on children. And especially not Prim.

He’ll never know whether it was his bomb that was used that day. But he does know that the possibility of it will haunt him for the rest of his life. 

Gale’s one goal ever since Katniss first got reaped was to make sure Prim was protected. Now he’s the person who may be responsible for her death. The Capitol regime has been defeated, but at what cost?

He’d felt alive while they were planning the rebellion. Now he feels dead inside.


End file.
